This application claims a foreign priority based on German application 199 24 410.3, filed on May 27, 1999, and the contents of that priority German application are incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates to a driving pedal sensor/sender having a housing, a pedal lever with a first end portion for being connected to a pedal plate and a second end portion being supported in the housing, and an electrical rotation sensor including a sensor plate and an actuating element driven by the pedal lever. The sensor/sender senses movement of the pedal lever, and in response thereto sends out a signal. Such elements are sometimes referred to only as sensors, and this terminology will also sometimes be used below.
A driving, such as accelerator, pedal sensor/sender of this type is disclosed by FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 of German patent document (DE 44 070 05 C1) (main patent) taken together with FIG. 1 of German patent document (DE 195 21 821 C1) (related supplementary patent). In the known accelerator pedal sensor/sender, the pedal lever and the actuating element are connected by a metal actuating shaft.
An object of this invention is to provide an accelerator pedal sensor/sender that is less complicated and less expensive in construction than are accelerator pedal sensors/senders of the prior art.
According to principles of the invention a pedal lever is a single resinous plastic part which forms a first connecting element that is directly connected with a second connecting element of an actuating element.
Because of the inventive structure of the accelerator pedal sensor/sender of this invention, a metal linking shaft between the pedal lever and the actuating element can be eliminated.
It is especially advantageous to structure the accelerator pedal sensor/sender to have the particular characteristics described herein. In this manner, a shaft for the pedal lever can be entirely omitted, since the pedal lever itself is supported within the housing.